Crash Landing
by StatsGrandma57
Summary: Leia and Han's fourth child has been born. Chapter 10 completes this story! Thank you for reading :)
1. Chapter 1

CRASH LANDING

Chapter 1

(Han's POV)

"Kids are asleep," Leia announces to me as she comes into the bedroom. She's just finished brushing her teeth and scrubbing off what few cosmetics she wears. She's removing her clothes ever so slowly. I gasp as she does. She's seven months pregnant, and there's nothing I can think of that is anywhere nearly as sexy as Leia when she's pregnant. This is likely to be our last child, so I'm enjoying the view, and she knows it.

She looks like a plump, ripe Kavasa fruit, which happens to be my favorite fruit. She's got the roundess and the perfect blush. The first two months were a little tough on her but she's been much healthier during this pregnancy than she was with the other two. Maybe having a non Force sensitive kid is easier. Who knows. All I know is that she is so sexy right now, I want to eat her up.

We got confirmation two weeks ago that in fact we are having a boy. I was a bit partial to having another daughter, but then I thought about how Jaina would react, and it was not a pretty picture. I'm glad I didn't bet Luke.

She begins taking her hair pins out, letting the silky darkness flow over her. I love the smell and feel of that cloak of hair. Alderaanian women customarily do not cut their hair, and I love it. She trims the ends from time to time, but it flows over her like a silk waterfall.

I have actually seen her in a waterfall-we were both very wet and very naked and it was, well, pretty damn incredible making love that way. That was on our second anniversary. Leia was pregnant with the twins and I couldn't keep my hands off her. I remember the warm sunlight, the cool water, the fresh breeze, the smell of the flowers.

On our third anniversary, she was pregnant with Anakin. We went to Sebor 6, the water planet, and again, spent most of our time wet and naked. I remember the soft sheets on the bed in our hotel room, the tang of the salt water around us, the softness of the air in the morning and the sharpness of it at night, the huge pale blue moon in its sky.

These are but a few of the memories I have of my pregnant wife, and they're all wonderful.

"Our anniversary's next month," I call out to her. "How do you want to celebrate?"

"I need to not be too far away, just in case we have an event like we did with the twins." The twins were born four weeks early, which isn't terrible-it's within a week of full term-but I understand her reservations about being, say, on the Outer Rim. Anakin made up for it by being two weeks late. Maybe this one'll come on time.

"Works for me."

She comes and lies down on the bed next to me. She is still naked and she's radiant. I set down my datapad as she pulls on the strings of my sleep pants.

"Is there something you want, your Highnessness?" I ask teasingly. I know what she wants, and I absolutely want to take advantage of it. Of course, she's noticed that I've already developed an involuntary response to her before she even lies down. It's all her fault and she's damn proud of it. I'm naked in no time, and I lie on my side, facing her, taking in her soft red lips. I remember the very first time I kissed those perfect lips in what seems like a lifetime ago, but the sensation will never escape my memory. She called me a scoundrel. I told her she liked me because I'm a scoundrel. (According to her, I remain a scoundrel. I like the sound of that.) She told me she liked nice men. I assured her I was a nice man and I kissed her. It was soft at first, super gentle, but we had just begun exploring each other's lips a bit more when Threepio interrupted us. I could have deactivated him permanently at that point.

I take in her eyes, those deep chocolate brown windows to her soul. When I met her, I took her for an old soul. And she is one, in many ways, but when we're alone and naked, she's anything but. She has long, dark lashes. Her skin is pale ivory, creamy and nearly flawless. (She acquired stretch marks from the twins, but I consider that just another aspect of her that suggests her deep involvement with all that she loves.) She has the cutest nose, and thank the gods two out of our three kids got hers. Jacen has mine, but on him it looks good. The twins have my mouth (literally and figuratively), but Anakin lucked out in that department. She has a beautiful face, ever so slightly round, and cheekbones that most would envy. There's a small spray of freckles over the bridge of her nose that I find adorable.

Right now, those eyes sparkle at me, and I pull her gently a bit closer. I can feel our son kicking Leia. "He may not have the Force, but he's got the strength of a gundark," I say to her, and then I lean in and kiss her.

"Let's hope he has better manners than a gundark," Leia says, and she laughs gently. "He is lively, no question about it."

We kiss again, gently at first, but we gradually deepen it. I kiss her on her collarbone on the spot that only I know and she closes her eyes, drinking it in. I love her little moans of pleasure. She isn't just someone who takes, though. She knows every spot on me that makes my nerves tingle in a most wonderful way.

My hands move down to her belly. Even though we've had three kids, each time it never fails to move me that she and I can create life together. That, to me, is the ultimate turn on. I lean over to kiss her again, this time more intense. I can't get enough of her. Every touch leaves me wanting more. I moan her name as she begins stroking my cock, not wanting the moment to end.

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(Leia's POV)

I never cease to be amazed by Han Solo, my husband, my lover, my friend. I look into those green-amber eyes of his, their bottomless depths. He does not expose himself to many people, and none at the level he does me. Despite his outward mannerisms, he is a deeply private man, and only shows himself to me and to our children.

And oh my gods, he oozes sexuality. One of the things that attracted me to Han was that he's a _man_ through and through. I grew up with playboys and pretenders and pretty boys all around me. My father, whom I otherwise adored, expected to make an appropriate match for me when I became of age. I'd let him know that that would never happen.

And it didn't. I am one of the lucky ones: I truly did marry for love.

Love with Han Solo means never having a dull moment. It can be challenging, frustrating, infuriating, exhilirating, pick your adjective, but leave boring out of it. Making love with him is no exception. His hand may be roughened by working with them for so many years, but the rest of his skin is soft and golden in color. His hair is thick but the strands are fine; he's got baby soft body hair, especially on his chest. I love his chest; I listen to his heart beat, feeling safe in his embrace.

Right now, he runs his thumb along the underside of my breast. He knows where all my sensitive spots are. I'm seven months pregnant, and he loves that my bra size increases three sizes when I'm expecting. If anything, his kisses, his touches, I feel them all the more when I'm pregnant. He knows how to enter me, accommodating our extra passenger comfortably.

"I love you," he says, his voice a deep rumble, soft and sexy, as he places his hand on my belly, and laughs gently when our little boy kicks.

He spoons me, lays me into his body. I'm so at ease with him like this; he has strong arms but a gentle touch. I feel him slowly enter me and I gasp for air. He moves deeper, very slowly, his hands touching the rest of my body and making me cry out for him. There comes a point where we can't tell when one begins and the other ends.

The most beautiful sound in the galaxy is Han climaxing. He moans as if he's on the border of pleasure and pain, calling my name, his breathing ragged, his eyes dark, every sense heightened. I follow him to the edge of my own sensations, sparkling at every nerve ending, crying out his name.

We lie together, sweating, our breathing slowing, our heartbeats quieting. I love the afterglow; sometimes we tell each other our deepest secrets, other times we're quiet. My head is on his chest, his arm draped over me.

"You know, we should probably think about what we're going to name this little guy," Han said softly.

"You're right. If we don't, the kids will insist on choosing the name, and the gods fear this for a good reason."

"Just look at the names Jacen chooses for his pets, and worry."

"Hmm. So what do you want to name him?"

"We were gonna name Anakin Han Solo Junior."

"Might get confusing, having two kids with the same name," I tease him.

"Hey now, was that a kid that just made love to you?" He pulls me in closer.

"I think you wore me out. My brain is refusing to work."

"Same here."

"We'll think of something."

"Hopefully by the time that he pops into the world."

"We've got about eight weeks to go."

"Which are gonna go pretty fast."

"For you, yes. For me, well, he's just going to keep getting bigger."

"Thank you, sweetheart."

"For what?"

"For making me a dad again."

"I love you, Han." I feel my eyelids closing, and we both drift into a comfortable slumber. Every day brings its own challenges; for now, we leave them behind.


	2. Chapter 2

CRASH LANDING

Chapter 2

(Leia)

Every school and workday morning at the Solo home begins in the same fashion: the kids' chrono goes off and they don't get out of bed. It takes Han and/or myself at least two times going back to scream at them to move. Inevitably, Anakin can't find his shoes, Jacen 'forgets' to do some of his homework, Jaina can never find what she wants to wear and she's only nine and a half; I can hardly wait till she's a teenager. Backpacks, datapads, writing implements, you name it, it's where it's not supposed to be.

Today is no different. Jaina can't find the denims she wants to wear. They're probably in the laundry. The kids know how to do their own laundry but getting them to keep on top of it has been an epic fail, right up there with keeping their room clean.

One thing is for certain: we need a bigger home. We've lived here since we became engaged, and it's overflowing with memories, but also overflowing with Stuff. Five people in this apartment is akin to living in a very small spacecraft. We'd talked about this before, but we never seemed to get around to doing the actual work of contacting a realtor.

"Han, we need to get a larger place," I say to him. He's staggered out of the shower and grabs a large mug of kaf. His hair is still slicked back and wet, his voice thick with sleepiness.

"Tell me about it," he mutters as he takes a gulp of kaf.

"Jaina needs her own room. Jacen, too. And we need room for this little one," I say as I lay my hand on top of my baby bump, which is growing by leaps and bounds.

"I'll give Lando a call - "

Okay, stop! "I like Lando. I even consider him a friend. But do I trust him? You've got to be kidding. Especially if real estate is involved."

"Honey, I'm only calling Lando to see who he knows. He's got this gentrification thing going on the lower city levels - "

"Which is probably a complete scam."

"No doubt. But he might know someone legit. It could happen."

"When I grow to 3 meters tall," I mutter. "Aren't you on a cargo detail tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but 48 hours tops. Today I'm done at 1500. I'll get the kids."

"Thanks."

"Anakin, shoes!" What is it that this kid never knows where his shoes are? Of course, one look at the kids' room could explain a lot. I've urged him to put his shoes by the dining table on a daily basis, and somehow, his hearing becomes selective.

"I can't find my datapad!" Jacen yells.

"Didn't you put it in your backpack?" I call back. I'm trying to keep the annoyance out of my voice.

"I forgot!"

Jaina emerges, at long last, fully dressed. "I want my beret! I can't find it!"

"You look fine without it," Han informs her.

"Daddy, you don't know what you're talking about!" Jaina snaps at Han.

"Apparently not." Han's filling his takeaway mug with kaf. I have to say that I miss kaf a lot; as soon as this little guy is delivered, I'm treating myself to a giant kaf beverage with the works. "Guys!" he yells out. "Two minute warning!"

"I've gotta get," I say to Han, and we kiss. "If you get the urge to kill the kids, I fully understand, and no jury will convict you."

"Don't tempt me. Have a good day, sweetheart."

"You, too. I'm leaving!" I announced to the children, loudly.

"Bye Mom!" Anakin calls out. The other two are wrapped up in their own issues. Han will get them out the door, one way or another.

I've been feeling pretty good for a while now, but today, I'm feeling a little off. Not unexpected; I'm seven months along, and my medic feels that the pregnancy is progressing well. Our little guy is an active one. Pretty soon Han and I will have to think of a name for him. So far, we're way behind on that one.

My office is almost next door to where we live. That's another thing; I'd like to stay in the same area. It's expensive, yes, but the local schools are excellent - and free - and the kids have a lot of friends here. I like being close to work and to the kids in the event of an emergency. Han's at the spaceport when he's teaching and when he takes off and returns from a cargo run. It's a bit of a drive but it's not in an area where I'd really like to live. A number of pilots have gone legit, now that they don't have to hide from the late and unlamented Empire, but there's still various criminal elements, mostly in the form of drugs and weapons running. We can create a better world but while Coruscant is a great place to live, it's not utopia, especially on the lowest levels of the city.

Urban planning is but one of the many groups I sit in with. We discuss generally and specifically how to improve cities across the galaxy. Some planets, such as Haaridan, have clean and prosperous cities in place, but they are in the minority. Cities pretty much went to hell under the Empire and many worlds are still struggling. The black market was about the only thing that thrived during the reign of the Empire. We're trying to develop cities that are livable, with clean water and air, have healthy economies, and affordable housing.

It's a long way from fighting a war to trying to achieve intergalactic peace and prosperity. Han says the war is always the easy part, and he couldn't be more correct. I spent a lot of sleepless nights during the early days of the provisional government, and not just because meetings went well into the night. (They did. But insomnia was my constant companion for way too long.) Things are far better now. But it takes time. True and lasting stability takes a generation.

The short walk wears me out. I really am in late pregnancy, and tiredness takes over. But I've got three meetings and a mountain of work on my desk. I'll try to catch a nap during lunch.

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(Han)

I've got a bad feeling about this.

I know that seven months is around the time that Leia gets tired all the time, but she just seemed somehow, I don't know, off this morning. Maybe it's just my imagination playing tricks on me. In the meantime, there are flight dynamics exams to give to students and real estate to find.

While watching over exam taking (yeah, most of 'em don't cheat but there's usually someone trying to, despite being told to turn off the transmit function on their datapads), I take advantage of the time and text comm Lando, asking who he knows selling properties in our part of town. He voice comms me back.

"I told you never to call me here!" I stage whisper, annoyed.

"Sorry. I'll text back. It just sounded urgent."

Just because it's in text doesn't mean it's not important. Lando doesn't like text comm; he knows the power of smooth speech. I'm used to this and don't need to be sold. Yet.

(What are you looking for?) he texts back.

(Three or four bedrooms, plenty of space in the living areas, same neighborhood we live in now.)

(You don't ask for much, do you?)

(Didn't seem unreasonable to me.)

(Better open your credit account wide.)

(I'm aware of this.)

(How's Leia?)

(She's fine.) I don't want to elaborate at this point. I've still got that weird bad feeling in the back of my head.

(Let me get back to you.)

(Thanks. And tell them to text comm!)

(Copy that. Calrissian out.)

About twenty minutes later, I have an incoming. It's from a Ronx Kuro, a realtor who said that Lando referred him.

(Good morning, Mr. Solo)

(Han will do fine, thanks.)

(Han, Mr. Calrissian gave me your name and said you are in need of larger living quarters and that you wish to stay in the government district.)

(You're not kidding.)

(How soon do you need it?)

(Yesterday would have been good.)

(Got it. Let me take a look at the MLS and see what we have here.) Radio silence for a few minutes. I stroll through the room and make sure everyone's doing his or her own work.

(I have one here that might just fit your needs, Mr. Solo.)

(It's Han. Tell me what it has.)

(Four bedrooms, 2 'freshers, small but well built kitchen large eating area, large conversation pit living room. When can you see it?)

(I pick up my kids at 15:20.)

(And your wife?)

(I'll ask her to meet us.)

(I must make full disclosure before we see it. There was a sabacc game held there and unfortunately, one of the players was intoxicated and armed, and made a mess of the other three players. But the carpet has been replaced. And the walls have fresh paint.)

(Talk about a sore loser.)

(So this is not a problem for you?)

(Only if they left body parts in the freezer.)

(I assure you they have not.)

He gives me the address. (What do you look like?)

(I'm Rodian and I have a long purple cape.)

(I'll be the middle aged guy with three kids. Oh, and by the way? About fifteen years ago, I killed a Rodian bounty hunter, since we're talking disclosure here.)

(I assure you that I have nothing to do with such scum.)

(Happy to hear it.)

(We'll meet at 15:45.)

(Thanks.)

(Kuro out.)

There's a delicious irony in all this, what with our realtor being Rodian and a sabacc game gone bad. I suspect this might turn other people off, but the romantic in me likes it a lot.

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	3. Chapter 3

CRASH LANDING

Chapter 3

(Leia)

Thank the gods one of my meetings was cancelled. Even better that it was the one that started at 15:00. Han, the kids and I are going to meet with a realtor who apparently has a great deal on a four bedroom apartment. The asking price is at the low end for our neighborhood, which means it's still extortionate, but if we all like it, I'm ready to live in a place where every step I take doesn't have the potential to result in loss of life or limb. It's even worse now since I can't really see my feet anymore.

Of course, we have to sell the one we live in now. It will take an army of droids to get it in any condition that a sentient would consider suitable. If it was a free standing house, I'd recommend demolition.

I also hope that our kids won't trash the place upon arrival. They're a three person wrecking crew, and they can accomplish it in record time.

I can't believe how tired I am; I grab a hovertaxi and head out for the prospective new address. The way I'm feeling right now, if it's bigger and in decent shape, I'm on it.

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(Han)

I hate the traffic jams around the kids' schools. I'm not really helping the problem. I just want everyone else's speeders/hovervans/street vehicles to disappear. And I'm in a hurry.

"Daddy, can we get iced dots?" Jaina asks me as she piles in with her brothers. She's batting her lashes at me the way she does when she wants her way. Normally, I succumb readily, but not today.

"We can't. We're looking at a new apartment," I inform them.

"How about after?" Anakin pleads.

"Depends on if we like the place, if Mom goes for it, if I can get the price we want."

"I want my own room!" Jaina declares. "I'm sick of sharing a room with these two losers."

"Oh, and you're so great to share space with," Jacen shoots back at her. "Like you never trash anything. And I want my own room, too."

Anakin looks at his older brother and sulks. "I wanna share a room with you."

"Yeah, well, I don't, so there," Jacen tells him.

"Okay, can we keep it down to a dull roar?" I tell the kids. "By the way, the realtor's Rodian. So don't act all weird when you see him."

"Didn't you almost get shot by a Rodian once?" Jaina demands.

"Who told you that?" I tell the kids some things, but I tend to leave out the killing parts.

"You and Mom were talking about the day you met and you said you almost got killed," Anakin tells me, very satisfied with himself. "By a Rodian."

"First of all, I never came close to being killed." This is not completely true, but let's run with it. "Jabba the Hutt was after me and Greedo the bounty hunter, that was the Rodian, wanted to have a shoot out. But, I shot first."

This appeals to my children. They think it's hilarious whenever something comes up in conversation involving 'Dad shot first.' "And, I'd appreciate it if you didn't bring up to Mr. Kuro that I fried Greedo."

"He musta deserved it," Anakin decided.

"He was definitely bad news. And ugly. Even uglier than most bounty hunters." Most of them have the sort of looks that would have caused their mothers to reject them at birth. There are a few sexy and beautiful female bounty hunters, but they're rare. And a lot more obvious than they think they are about doing their jobs. They're not a subtle bunch.

"What if he tries to shoot you?" Jaina asks.

"I'll shoot first."

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(Leia)

I've arrived at the address Han gave me. I'm a bit concerned; I don't see him. Maybe I wrote it down wrong?

"Mrs. Solo?" a metallic sounding voice says my name. I turn around and there's a Rodian right there. Han had told me that part. I just hope leaving my blaster at home in the weapons safe wasn't a bad idea.

"Yes, I'm her."

"I'm Ronx Kuro." He extends a reptilian hand, and I force myself to shake it. Oddly enough, it's not slimy. "I've seen you on the holochannels many times."

"I hope I didn't have anything stuck in my teeth."

"No, you always look lovely. How far along are you?"

"Seven months. Although it seems as if it's been going on forever."

"My wife felt the same way both times."

I relax a little as Han races up. I have to periodically remind him that our speeder isn't the _Falcon_, although he does try to get it to run at the speed of light. Of course, the kids love it and egg him on.

Mr. Kuro extends his hand to Han's. "You dress a lot better than the last Rodian I encountered," Han says to him.

"Well, since life is peaceful on Coruscant, I didn't feel the need for heavy armor plating," Kuro says.

"How long have you been here?" I ask him.

"My wife and I moved here before our first child was born. Things were bad on Rodia. They haven't improved much."

I nod; Rodia's been tough all the way along. The population is polarized and the culture is violent. I can understand why Mr. Kuro would prefer to live here. It's nowhere nearly as peaceful as Alderaan, but it's much, much better than the nicest city on Rodia.

"This way, please," Mr. Kuro motions to us. "Now, as you can see, this is a high rise, but the lifts are quite swift, as you'll feel momentarily."

"I get to press the floor!" Anakin calls out. "No, I do!" Jacen shouts back. "Hmmf. You wanna get it done, call a woman," Jaina says, pushing her hands in."

"Okay, kids, no one's pressing anything," I tell them.

"This apartment is on the 82nd floor," Kuro explains. "A most excellent view."

"That'd be moving up in the world, seeing as we're on the 20th where we live now." The kids and I groan. Han will tell lame jokes to get us to do that. Which I suppose is better than the jokes he shares with the smuggling bunch and Rogue Squadron, none of which can be repeated in polite company or in the presence of children.

The lift is incredibly fast. I feel my ears pop at one point. The building itself looks very nice from the outside. When we arrive at our floor, Mr. Kuro deactivates an invisible security panel. Security matters to us.

"Now, Mrs. Solo, did your husband tell you a little about the history of this apartment?"

"We haven't had a chance to exchange more than our meeting time," I tell him.

Han grins. "The reason this place is going cheap, well, relatively speaking, is because - "

"Did somebody die here?"

"Something like that. It involved sabacc and intoxicants. Somebody didn't know how to lose gracefully."

"We've repainted the entire apartment and new floors and carpeting are installed. I'm afraid it was a bit of a mess."

I pass a look to Han. He gives me his best, I'm innocent! face.

"I told Mr. Kuro here that I'm a sentimental fool," Han assures me.

"Please tell me you never played a sabacc game where blood was involved," I whisper to Han.

"I can't. I'd be lying."

Mr. Kuro opens the apartment. It's indoor entry.

I have to admit that my first impression was that it was a lovely unit. I don't see anything untoward here. The walls are the color of fresh cream in each room, the carpeted floors a soft grey, the hardwood portions in a lovely parquet design. The kitchen cabinets match the hardwood floors.

"I get this room!" Jaina hurries into the largest bedroom.

"Uh, no, sweetie, you don't. That'd be Mom's and my room," Han tells her. "When you get married, you can have your own master bedroom."

"I'm calling this one!" Jacen shouts.

"Guys, please, settle down," I plead with them.

"It's fine, Mrs. Solo. They're just enthusiastic," Mr. Kuro says. "I have two myself."

"They take enthusiasm, shoot it full of steroids, and push it into another dimension," Han remarks dryly. The kids are already racing about. I hope the walls are thick, and the floors and ceilings as well.

Han is checking the construction of everything. One of his favorite pastimes is finish carpentry, and he knows when something is well built and when it's not.

"What do you think?" I ask him as he examines the plumbing in what would be the kids' bathroom.

"Pretty well put together, from what I can see." He looks over at me. "What do you think?"

"It's a very attractive unit. It'd be big enough for six of us, plus the menagerie." Suddenly, I'm very, very tired, even more than usual. All I want to do is lie down and sleep.

It's not lost on Han. "You okay, sweetheart?"

"Yes. Just more exhausted than usual. Of course, I'm in my 30s so it's not as if I'm as young as I was delivering the other three."

"Do you want to make an offer? I'm not about to give him full asking price."

I hear shrieking and giggling while the kids are entertaining Mr. Kuro. He seems to genuinely like them. They want to know where the gems on his long cape are from. From all outward indications, he's doing very well in his occupation.

"I'm fine with it."

"Because if you want to keep looking, we can."

"The security seems pretty good. That matters a lot."

"Yeah, it does. Are you okay?"

"You just asked me that. I'm fine. Though I will be happy to take a nap when we get home."

"Are you okay with this place having a history?"

"Han, you and I both know that ghosts don't exist."

"I know, just making sure."

"Besides, the fact that it has a sabacc game gone bad and the realtor being Rodian is bound to make you feel all fuzzy inside."

Han laughs. "You know me way too well."

"Make an offer."

"How far below asking?"

"Ten percent."

"Nah, gotta go at least twenty. That way, when we hit on the price I expect to pay and the one he expects to get will be somewhat close to what we both want."

"You sure you don't want to be a diplomat? I spend my life haggling."

"Yeah, but I'm used to haggling with a blaster at my side." He grins at me, that lopsided smile of his that I can never get enough of."

"I knew there was a reason why I didn't recommend you for the diplomatic corps," I tease him. "Let's go make Mr. Kuro have visions of commissions dancing in his head."

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	4. Chapter 4

CRASH LANDING

Chapter 4

(Leia)

Han is ordering dinner from his datapad and fielding comms from Mr. Kuro. Han has bid ridiculously low, but the place has been on the market for seven standard months, nearly unheard of on Coruscant, where supply is far in arrears compared to demand. The kids are doing their homework, grumbling about it every inch of the way, as they do every night of their young lives.

"Go lie down," Han stage whispers to me, his expression annoyed. I was about to start dinner but he ordered out. Thank the gods Bakura Barbecue delivers.

"Kids, I'm going to lie down. Come get me if you need anything," I say to them.

Jaina looks up. "Are you okay, Mom?"

"I'm just tired. Late pregnancy is like that." Somehow, I can tell that my kids remain unconvinced.

I head for the bedroom and a nap.

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(Han)

I put in a ridiculously low offer on the apartment we looked at. Naturally, Kuro laughs at me, but I remind him that the place is bank owned and in foreclosure. (It's useful having a wife who has access to this kind of info.) The only survivor is now a guest of the state for the rest of his mortal life.

He's going to get in touch with the bank and give them my offer, meaning he'll call back with a counter offer soon enough. I also need him to sell the place we live now, so tomorrow it's off to the _Falcon_. We keep our important docs in the smuggling bins. Who knew those bins would be useful for something other than contraband. Oh, and Leia keeps her metal bikini in them. I wish she'd wear it more often. I'll give her a pass right now because she's pregnant, but someday, well, a guy can dream.

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Dinner arrives. Two nerfsteaks black and blue for Leia and me, two nerfburgers burnt for the twins, and a plate of pasta with blue cheese for Anakin. Tubers mashed and spiced for Leia and me, sliced thin and deep friend for Jacen and Jaina, a large salad with the nightshade pomanders on the side. Whole grain bread and barbecue sauce tops it off. I think of it as the Smugglers' Special, because when my smuggler friends and I would do a good run with lots of bank, we'd go and have a dinner such as this.

I go into the bedroom to wake Leia. "Honey, dinner's here," I say softly to her. I lean over and kiss her cheek.

"Huh?" Leia blinks.

"The little guy needs to eat," I say, placing my hand over her belly. "And so do you."

"Just give me a minute," she mumbles. I help her sit up, very slowly. She's been known to get dizzy when she's pregnant, and having her fall isn't exactly the strategy I'd had in mind. I hear my comm go off again. "Stay there. Hey guys, answer my comm! And do it politely!"

I hear it stop going off, so either the caller, most likely Kuro, will give it up or one of the kids actually listened to me.

Anakin's talking on my comm as he brings it to the bedroom. "I hope my mom and dad will buy it," he tells Kuro. I roll my eyes, then rethink it: maybe Anakin can sway him to take our offer. Anakin can do pupply dog eyes like no one's business. That he learned from Leia.

"Here's my dad. It's Mr. Kuro." I take the comm from him.

"The bank won't accept your offer. Do you care to counter?"

"Hell yeah. Bump it up another 5K."

"That's all?"

"Yep."

"All right. Thank you. Kuro out." He sounded a bit discouraged there. Too bad.

"How many times are we going to play this game?" Leia asks me, but she seems a little amused.

"Until we get what we want, and we will get it." There've been two offers on the place. Both were from management companies who wanted to collect rents from the dwellers. The complex it's in is owner occupied only, same as the one we live in now. "Let's get some dinner before a, it gets cold or b, Jacen grabs it out from under us and feeds his motley zoo with it."

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(Leia)

This is one of my favorite dinners and I'm barely eating any of it. I'm more or less moving it around my plate, trying to make it appear that I'm eating something, but I'm sure Han is taking notes on it. At the moment he is trying to keep Jacen from demonstrating how you shoot milk out your nose.

I don't know why I've suddenly started to feel awful. The first two months were awful but by month three, I felt great; in fact, better than I did in my previous pregnancies. Our little guy is actively working out, so I doubt anything could be wrong there, but I'm going to the clinic tomorrow, just in case.

Anakin takes a drink of milk and Jacen tells him something funny, and sure enough, milk shoots out of his nose.

"Uh, guys, which part of 'no shooting milk out of your nose' did you not understand?" Han demands.

"He made me do it!" Anakin protests.

"Boys, please," I say to them.

"Hey guys, look at the boogers I've got!" Jaina has two thin sliced fried tubers sticking out from each nostril, which her brothers consider to be hysterical and imitate her. "Mom, I can't go to school tomorrow. Do you see how big my boogers are?"

"Which one of you needs to be hurt first?" Han says. "This is the sort of thing that pirates sit around and do for amusement. Last I checked, you weren't pirates."

"But you were!" Anakin said.

"I was a businessman," Han said tartly. "I'll grant that my cargo was at times questionable but I was not a pirate."

"Sure you weren't," Jaina said. "I'd like to be a pirate."

"Not a snowball's chance in hell," Han tells her.

"You said smugglers, soldiers or siths. You didn't say anything about pirates," Jaina tells Han. She's not unlike some of the lawyers I have to deal with.

"Pirates exist under all three headings," Han tells her. "And I find it hard to take anyone seriously who has tuber fries hanging from her nose."

"Bet you did it when you were a kid," Anakin says teasingly.

"No, I had trouble getting enough to eat most of the time. I wasn't going to waste it sticking it up my nose."

"And you had to walk a hundred kilometers in your bare feet to get to school," Jaina adds.

"I really didn't get to go to school, not before I went to the Academy."

"So how'd your learn stuff?" Jacen asks.

"Mostly I taught myself."

"What was your favorite subject, Daddy?" Jaina asks him.

"Math."

"Why am I so not surprised?" Jaina rolls her eyes.

"You need it for piloting," Han reminds her. She's the only one of the three who's expressed any interest in following Han into one of the family businesses.

"I'm good at it," Jaina reminds him. All three kids do well in it. I'm the one who bombs out on 'two freighters are flying towards each other. One is flying at .08 the speed of light and the other is flying at .0665...you get the picture. "What'd you like best, Mom?"

"Not math. My favorite classes were history and writing."

"I like writing, but I like bioscience best of all," Jacen says.

I close my eyes for a moment. Here we are, having a normal family dinner, something we make an effort to have every night as possible, and I'm not sure what's going on with me, but something's out of whack. I don't think it's the baby. Or maybe I'm not remembering how tired I was in month seven.

"Mom?" Jacen's voice is serious.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"You okay?"

"Just very worn out. Han, if you don't mind, I need to lie down again."

"No problem. Jaina, you've got dish detail tonight," Han reminds her.

Jaina mutters some obscenity under her breath. It sounds like ones she picked up from Han, probably while they worked on the _Falcon_. Work on the _Falcon _was normally accompanied by a great number of profanities. I think I've heard all of them.

"What did you say, young lady?" Han asks her sharply.

"Nothing you haven't said," she retorts, but she then bats her eyes and gives him a sweet smile. What can I say? She's had Han wrapped around her little finger from the moment she was born. And I doubt that that will ever change.

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(Han)

I'm worried about Leia. She's definitely not been herself the last couple days. If I didn't know better, I'd say she's about to go into labor; this happened the last two times. The twins were a month early, but two months? No way.

I have no idea. I don't have a medical certification. Most of my friends would never believe I had a certification in anything except mixology.

"Anakin, get in the shower," I bark at him. He wants to get involved in Grand Theft Starship with Jacen, and that's not happening until he's clean.

"Make Jacen go first," he answers me.

"Jacen?"

"He's the youngest. He gets to go first."

"I'll go," Jaina offers.

"You use up all the hot water!" Jacen points at her.

"Do not!"

"Anakin, it's time," I repeat. The lineup is Anakin, Jacen, and Jaina, because, in fact, Jaina takes longer and actually does use up the hot water. She likes the shower gels and creams her mom's turned her on to.

"You're so mean!" Anakin says, his expression exactly like Leia when it's _j'accuse._

"I am indeed. Jaina, Jacen, I know your homework's not done, so get back on it."

I receive another round of grumbling.

General Riekkan told me once that if your kid never says I hate you, you're not doing your job. Based on that criteria, I must be doing great.

Or not. To be honest, I'm making it up as I go.

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By the time showers have been taken and homework completed and one round of 'Grand Theft Starship' has been played, it's time to get the kids off to bed. They go to say goodnight to their mom.

"Mom, what's wrong? Something's wrong," Jacen says, and I can tell he's worried.

"Yeah, there is," Jaina echoes him. "Are you sick?"

"I'm okay, kids, I'm just pregnant."

"But something's not good," Anakin adds.

"Guys, stop making your mom upset and go to bed already. It's late."

Once I'm convinced that the kids pose no further threat, I go to the bedroom to check on Leia. She doesn't look good.

"Han, I'm seeing the medic tomorrow," she says before anything falls out of my mouth.

"I'm glad. I hope they can help you feel better." I sit down on the bed next to her and put my arms around her. She snuggles into me, and while she thinks I'm comforting her, in fact, she's comforting me just as much. Maybe more. I don't think I did a very good job convincing the kids that Mom's okay.

"I should get out of my work clothes," she tells me. Normally, we love undressing each other; it's part of the whole erotic experience for us, but I don't have that on my mind at the moment. I know, everyone's shocked that occasionally, I think about things other than sex with my wife.

Once her skirt is off, I notice her ankles. Normally, they're dainty, well shaped ankles. Tonight, they look as if someone pumped gallons of fluid under her skin.

"Leia, you didn't have swollen ankles before," I say to her.

"I know, Han. That's why I'm seeing the medic tomorrow. Let's try not to worry about it tonight. I really need some sleep. And you're flying out, so you need some sleep as well."

"Actually, I think I should get a sub or do the job after you've seen the medic. I'm gonna take care of that right now. Besides, Kuro's calling back tomorrow."

"You don't need to do this, Han. I'm sure everything's okay."

"Leia, it seems like it was when you went into labor the last times."

"I get a twinge here and there, but that's normal. I can tell you that there's no way I'm in labor."

"I'll be right back." I need to comm Riekkan, who authorized the job I'm supposed to do tomorrow. He's very fond of Leia and he'll understand. I text him and briefly explain the situation. He gets back to me immediately, saying that the run can be postponed and to keep him apprised of the situation. I'm sure Riekkan still thinks I'm a smartass but we have a good working relationship. (I thought I wasn't as bad as I used to be, but I asked Leia one time not long ago if I was still a smartass. She laughed for about five minutes.)

"Han, you didn't need to do that," Leia says to me.

"Yeah, actually, I did, and Riekkan says to keep him in the loop. Riekkan doesn't sweat small stuff, sweetheart, and if he's concerned about you, I damn well better be. And, there's the matter of getting a new apartment. Might take some haggling, but we will get it."

She's in an old shirt of mine, the fabric so old and thin that I can see right through it. I think she looks adorable in it. She's got her head on the pillow and smiles at me as I change out of my clothes and into a pair of sleep pants. It's warm, so I dispense with the T shirt. I climb into bed next to her. She's on her side, and our eyes meet. I can't help but smile at her beautiful presence. I put my hand on her cheek and we draw ourselves into a kiss.

I never cease to be amazed that this wonderful, intelligent, insightful, talented, incredibly beautiful and sexy woman loves me still. I love that she's the one that chose me to be in her life, hell, to be her life; she is my best friend, my consicence, the mother of my children and the love of my life.

I hope she's okay. But, as before, I've got a bad feeling about this.


	5. Chapter 5

CRASH LANDING

Chapter 5

(Han)

I've been restless most of the night and had just drifted off to sleep when I wake up to find Leia shaking me.

"Han, better get up right now."

I jump out of bed to the hyperalert state that happens when bad things are about to happen.

"What is it?" I ask her.

"My water broke, and I'm bleeding." Leia usually handles emergencies with a cool head and she's trying to do the same with this one.

I jump up in the hyperalert state you get when you're going to be attacked. I grab my comm and wake up Chewie.

{It's the middle of the night, cub. What's wrong?}

"It's Leia. She has to get to the med center right now."

{I'll be right up, cub. She'll be okay.}

Chewie lives downstairs on the first floor. Having Wookiees residing at ground level is a good security plan. I haven't told him we're going to be moving, but right now I'm grateful he's so close.

Next call is 999. Leia needs to be seen five minutes ago. If she goes by medtrans, she'll be seen immediately, as opposed to if we walk in.

"Lie down, sweetheart," I tell her. I need to clean up. She's not hemorrhaging, but that her water broke this early is disturbing. The twins had to come early because there was no amniotic fluid left. This looks the same. It's too early.

I grab a pair of my sleep pants and help Leia into them. "It'll be okay, sweetheart," I promise, holding her tightly.

"It's too soon, Han," she says, trying to hold it together, but I know she's frightened. She's not the only one.

Chewie lets himself in. He comes back to our room, and cocks his head and says soothing Shiryywook things to her.

I'd hoped the kids wouldn't wake up, but emergency response enters, and Chewie leads them. Within two minutes, there are three sleepy, confused and frightened faces.

"Mom!" Jaina rushes over to her with her brothers.

"I'll be fine, kids," Leia tells them, trying to keep her voice calm.

Anakin is nearly in tears. I pick him up and cuddle him in a way I seldom do anymore.

"Mom's gonna be okay," Jacen tells his twin sister and younger brother.

"Our brother's on his way," Jaina said, "but he's so little!"

Force sensitive kids. Ya gotta love 'em. And right now, it's not enough to comfort them. They're still kids and their mom's not in good shape. The medics let each kid kiss Leia and I hug all of them.

I'm pretty good at keeping cool in a crisis, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm worried. Leia's blood pressure is stratospheric, which is completely abnormal for her. Leia's not crying, although I think she wants to. We've been through crises before, and we've done all right.

I'm glad I decided that I couldn't work today. I follow Leia in the hover ambulance, and I hold her hand. "It'll be all right."

"He's coming, Han. I feel him trying to get out."

"Do you need to start pushing?" I ask her. I'm now a veteran.

"Not yet, but he's going to be here soon. I just hope he'll be all right."

"They do great things these days with preemies. The twins turned out great."

"I feel like he's struggling right now," she says as we pull into the medcenter. "He's got to get here soon." Finally, her eyes show a glint of tears. I know she's scared, and she knows I am, too, but I also know that we'll get through this together. It's not the first crisis we've endured. It's not going to be the last.

"Let me go with her, please," I say to the nurse droid.

"Please have a seat, sir. Your name is?"

"Han Solo. My wife is Leia Organa Solo." I'm not feeling very stoic but the occasion merits it.

"We need to tend to her immediately and we'll call you shortly," the droid promises. I lean over and kiss Leia on the forehead. "See you shortly, sweetheart."

She gives me a wan smile. "I don't think there'll let me go too far."

And so, I wait.

I should call Luke, but I need more information before I go there. I just hope I don't get a frantic phone call from him. Leia's his twin and I worry that he'll jump out of bed and take off in his X-wing and fly like a crazy man. Okay, it's not the worst thing he could do, but I'd prefer to have a firmer fix on the situation.

I hope the kids are asleep. Chewie's good at calming them. So far, no text or voice comms from any of them; if they're awake, he'll sit out with them and tell them stories (some of them about adventures he and I've had together, and fortunately, he leaves out certain parts).

I'm actually astonished when I'm called but a few minutes later.

"Is Leia all right? Is the baby?" I ask, trying to be typically Solo cool. Sometimes it's harder than others. This is one of those times.

"She's being prepped for surgery," the soft spoken, pleasant mannered droid says to me. "There are several problems."

"What are they?"

"She has pre-eclampsia, for one. Two, she is in labor. Three, the umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby's neck. Four, the baby is not full term and is in some distress, but if we move quickly there should be no complications."

We stop outside of the surgical suites. She hands me a package. "You've done this before. Your wife has said that you have three other children."

"I'm getting to be a pro at it," I assure her as I rip the sterile seal from them. She helps me with the ties and then tells me to go in back first and turn around promptly.

"Your front is sterile, your back is not, so if you turn around, you'll have to leave," she warns me.

Leia's being prepped, her long beautiful hair stuffed into a cap, an O2 cannula in her nose, and an IV line with several packages of clear fluids piggybacked on.

I lean over and kiss her. "Rumor has it that we're about to meet our new little boy."

"So I'm told," she says, and smiles gently at me. She's pretty calm, considering what's going on.

I'm not crazy about the next part, which is where a large needle is placed in her spine for the anesthetic. She's told that she'll feel pressure such as pushing or pulling. It isn't long before she's numb from the top of her belly down. There's a large drape that hangs from the ceiling that separates us from the surgical droids at work. Fine with me. I'm not incredibly squeamish, but all I'm interested in is making my sure my wife and son are all right.

"Mrs. Solo? I'm going to make the incision now," the droid tells us quietly. I can smell the electroscalpel against her skin. I can see from the monitors attached to Leia that our son's heartbeat is becoming erratic.

Leia holds my hand and we don't say much. It's enough that we're together. She's going to be all right. We're more worried about the little guy at this point.

"I'm going to open the uterus now," the droid tells her.

"Congratulations! You have a little boy," the droid tells us.

"He's not crying," Leia says, alarm in her eyes.

"We're giving him some O2 right now. He's starting to pink up now."

Then we hear it - it's a little weak, but it's a baby's cry.

"He weighs 1.4 kilograms. He'll be in an incubator for a while, but I'm encouraged," the droid says to us.

"Can I hold him?" I ask.

"We have to keep the O2 going, but you can hold him for a minute."

He's smaller than the twins were, but not by a lot. I pick him up gently and look at his impossibly tiny face. "Welcome to the madness," I tell him. I find my eyes growing misty."

"Have you chosen a name for him yet?" we're asked.

"Uh...we were going to do that over the next couple of months," Leia says.

"We'll put down 'baby boy Solo' for now."

I lean over and kiss Leia. "He's beautiful, sweetheart." And he is. He's tiny but he's perfectly formed and when I put my finger into the palm of his hand, he grabs it tightly. He seems to have a lot of fight in him.

He's an Organa and a Solo, all right.

"When can I hold him?" Leia asks.

"He's in the incubator," I tell her. "You look exhausted, sweetheart."

"I am. I just hope he's okay."

"I don't think that the cord was wrapped about his neck for very long," the droid tells her. "Based on the position it was in, he was never completely anoxic and I'm cautiously optimistic." The incubator is wheeled over so that Leia can see him.

"He is beautiful," Leia agrees. "I don't know what happened. I was really healthy -"

I put my finger against my lips. "He's here and you're both okay. That's what matters to me. I love you, Leia."

She smiles at me. "I know."

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	6. Chapter 6

CRASH LANDING

Chapter 6

(Han)

"It's a boy." I'm text comm'g Chewie.

{Congratulations.}

"How are the kids?"

{Asleep for now.}

"Good. Let me tell 'em when they wake up."

{How's Leia?}

"Being monitored in recovery. Upset that she hasn't gotten to hold him yet. I held him for a minute but he's in an incubator."

{What are they saying?}

"He's even smaller than the twins were, but he responded well when they gave him oxygen. He's in NICU. He's very tiny but very cute."

{Name?}

"Not yet. I'll ask the kids to help."

{Okay to bring them to see their mother?}

"Later on, yeah. Not sure they're allowed to see the baby." It's probably bad practice to bring school aged kids into the NICU, seeing as they're disease breeders. There's almost never a time when at least one of them doesn't have a runny nose.

{How are you, cub?}

"I'm okay." I'm a lot of things right now. Need to sort them out, later. Right now Leia and our new son are all right. That's all that matters.

{Jaina just walked into the living room.}

"Put her on."

"Hi Daddy!" she switches to voice comm. "Is Mom okay? How about our new brother?"

"New brother needs a lot of help right now but I think he'll be okay. Mom's resting."

"Can we come see you? Please?"

"After school, honey."

"And can we see our brother?"

"I don't think you can see him today, but I'll check. How's the runny nose?"

"It's allergy season, Daddy. Don't you know anything?" Her eye roll is identical to her mom's. Cracks me up.

"I don't know much, that's for sure," I tell her.

"Jacen! Ani! Our brother's here!" she says excitedly.

"Put one of 'em on."

"Hey Dad. Is Mom okay?" It's Jacen.

"She's all right, resting right now. I'll see if I can bring you guys over after school. Have to make sure she's in a room where you can visit."

Jacen frowns. "Why isn't she in one now?"

"She's in recovery. She had to have surgery to take your brother out."

"And what's our brother like?"

"Small, but he's a fighter, I can tell."

Jacen laughs. "Hold on, Whiny Butt wants to talk to you."

"I'm not a whiny butt!" Anakin protests. "Hi Dad. I wanna see Mom."

"I'm working on that, kiddo."

"Is our brother gonna be okay?"

"I think so." I don't want to make guarantees, but I think it's a fair bet.

Jaina pops on again. "Uncle Luke's coming with Aunt Mara."

"When did you hear from them?" I haven't heard a word from either.

"Oh, just Force sense."

Oh. That's it, then. They're on Yavin, so about an eight hour flight at near lightspeed. I of course have no idea what time they left, but for all I know, Luke knew about this before Leia or I did.

The one thing I've learned from being surrounded by Force sensitives is to never ask what a future outcome will be. I think that's reasonable; had I been able to anticipate what happened at some points in my life would have caused me to clock out early. And besides, is there anything that's all good or all bad? Not in my experience. I can't believe that once you turn to the so called 'dark side' of the Force that you can't return to the light. Nothing's that neat in all the galaxies of the universe, and my life's pretty good evidence of that.

I must be incredibly tired if I'm waxing philosophical. I've gotta find a sofa somewhere, preferably one that won't cripple me.

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I find an unoccupied sofa in one of the family areas. It's small for a guy my height, and narrow, and it was designed for utility, not comfort. I fall asleep anyway, I don't know for how long, when I'm dreaming I hear my name being called.

"Mr. Solo?" I raise my head a little, and this time, a real droid's calling me.

"Yeah?" My eyes feel like they've been sandpapered, my throat like I've been sitting by the smokers all night at Chalmun's, and my stomach destroyed by caffeine. But at least I still, for the moment, have my hair.

"Your wife has been moved to the obstetrical floor. She's asking for you."

"Thanks." She gives me a room number and tells me which lifts go to it. I know exactly what Leia is going to say: she's going to tell me that she's fine, that I need to go home and get some sleep and to lose the stubble. (The only reason she says that is because her skin is very sensitive. I rub stubble against her face and it turns red. I prefer her skin turn red from other things, and you are not allowed to know what those things are.

When I see her, she's smiling at me. She looks tired, but she did just have an emergency delivery.

"I hear our little boy is doing well," she said, the smile not leaving her face. "I just want to hold him."

"They were really in a hurry with him. I didn't get holos. But I'm gonna ask when we can see him, preferably with his mom."

"I hope it's not long off. My milk's starting to come in."

I take the chair next to her and we hold hands. I can't help but smile. I'm holding hands with my wife, my lover, my best friend, mother of my children. Despite her weariness and being a bit swollen from the edema, she looks radiant.

She is absolutely beautiful.

"You look exhausted, my love," she tells me. "Did you get any sleep at all?"

"Some, although I think my spine has been permanently displaced."

"You need some real sleep," Leia says to me.

"I knew you were gonna say that." I push a tendril of hair away from her face and tuck it behind her ear.

"We aren't going to be getting any sleep for a while, you know," she reminds me.

"And that's different from how we are now?" She arches an eyebrow, sending me a bemused smile that I love so much. Like other women deeply in love with their husbands, she views me with a mix of adoration and exasperation. Speaking for myself, I probably rate more on the exasperation side.

"You remember middle of the night feedings, don't you?"

"Oh yeah," I say, and she extends a hand to my cheek. "I know, I need to shave."

"I think you can be excused for now." I lean over and kiss her. "Right now, there's something I want you to do for me."

"And that is?"

"Go home, get some sleep, take a shower, and shave."

"Why did I know that you were going to tell me that?"

"You know me, flyboy. I'm dependable."

"That you are, among a million other amazing things. I'd rather stay here with you."

"Leia, Han!"

Damn, kids were right. "Luke! Mara!" I'm happy they're here. I get hugs all around from them.

"Congratulations, Dad," Luke says warmly. He then leans over and kisses Leia's forehead. "How're you feeling, Mom?"

"I'm all right. I just need some sleep." She looks over at me, then back at Luke. "Mara, I'm putting you in charge of making sure my husband goes home and rests up." Mara's as good a shot as I am. I suspect this is why she got the job.

"I will make sure he does," she laughs, and takes one of Leia's hands. "Luke woke me up about nine hours ago and said, we need to get to Coruscant. I felt it, too, so I'm glad we were right for once." All four of us laugh. "Is Chewie taking care of the kids?"

"Yeah, he's been with 'em since we left," I tell Mara. "Fortunately, Wookiees don't need as much sleep as humans." My comm goes off. "Excuse me. It's our realtor." I step into the hallway. "What's up, Kuro?"

"Go up another 10K, and I think I can make it yours."

I think about this. "Five grand. That's our final offer. Sorry I'm a little outta it right now. Leia delivered our new son a few hours ago."

"Already? I thought he wasn't due for another two months."

"That's what we thought, too, but already the kid's got a mind of its own."

"Congratulations. Is the baby well?"

"He's in NICU, but he's a Solo and a Skywalker." Meaning he's stubborn as all holy fuck.

"I'll let the bank know that you just had the baby and need to move on this quickly."

"Thanks, Kuro. Solo out."

Right now, real estate seems far away. I kiss Leia, a real kiss. "I'm headed home. Mara, Luke, you coming?"

"I was going to stay with Leia," Luke says.

"No one is staying with Leia," Leia lets everyone know in no uncertain terms. "All of you, go home, go to sleep, stop smelling like you've bathed in gundark piss, and let ME get some sleep."

I look over at Luke. "You coming?"

He looks back at Leia. "You heard the lady," I tell Luke. "I'll be back soon, sweetheart."

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Chewie greets all of us, grabbing me in a huge Wookiee hug. I haven't been hugged this hard since Leia freed me from Jabba's palace.

{You all right, cub?}

"I'm okay, pal."

{You need sleep. And a shower.}

"Funny, you're the second person today to tell me that."

Chewie hugs Luke and Mara. He and Luke are close and Mara's pretty much gotten used to the fact that my best friend, apart from my wife and family, is a Wookiee. She and Chewie tease each other and then taunt the rest of us.

In the House of Solo, the sarcasm is just part of the service. Mara fits in well. She can hold her own.

"Make yourselves at home. You do, anyway," I say to Luke and Mara. "Feel free to use the kids' 'fresher, assuming you can get into it."

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By the time I wake up, there're a bunch of messages on my comm.

First one is Kuro. If I go up another 2500, it's ours. I'm okay with that. I tell him to get the docs going.

Next is from Jaina, asking if the baby and Mom are okay. I don't have any messages from the medcenter. I consider to be a Good Thing. I have one from Leia, telling me she asked about the kids coming by and they can, but they can't be around our new addition just yet. One from Luke, saying he's picking up the kids and will be home shortly. I tell him I'll see them at the medcenter and to remind the kids that Mom had surgery, meaning that they should use some restraint. Luke texts back, good luck with that one. He says there's some food in the cooler that he and Mara brought back for me. I hadn't even been aware of being hungry, but now that it's mentioned, I realize that I really could eat something.

I am also acutely aware that this will be the last decent sleep I'll get for what will probably be a long time to come.

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(Leia)

I needed that nap. I hit my call switch. A few moments later, the nurse droid responsible for my section responds.

"Yes, Mrs. Solo?"

"I'd like to see my son, please."

"Let me see what I can do."

"I need to feed him before I explode."

"He might not be strong enough to nurse yet. We can give you a pump."

"No, I want to try it myself first." I'm upset that I didn't even get to hold my baby when he was born. Everything was happening so fast, it still feels a bit unreal.

"I'll be back," the droid promises.

She's good for her word; sometimes things get very busy in obstetrics and they forget. But she's got a repulsor chair for me to ride on (I'd normally rather walk, but right now, I just want to see my new little guy). I still have to drag the IV setup with me, but she tells me that I should be ready to have it removed by this evening.

I have to put my arms and hands under the sterilizer before I go into the NICU.

I'm led into a dimly lit ward with childlike prints on the wall. There are monitors everywhere; alarms go off and the droids and humans who work here are amazing. They're truly the most skilled and compassionate individuals I've encountered.

I'm taken over to my son's incubation unit. I marvel at him. He's so tiny, and I can see the blood vessels beneath his skin. He was on a ventilator for a while but he's doing well enough that he's on a nasal cannula. He's got other monitors as well.

"He's doing very well for being born so early," one of the neonatalogists tells me. "He's so cute."

I'm in awe of him. He's tiny, but I can sense a fighting spirit in him. He may not be Force sensitive and honestly, for that I'm grateful.

"I'd like to try feeding him," I say to one of the nurse droids.

"That's fine. Let me disconnect him," the nurse droid tells me. "He might not be strong enough yet, so don't be discouraged." He's still on oxygen but otherwise, I have a soft, pink, tiny human in my arms. His little hands flail gently about. I embrace him closely.

"I'm Mommy," I tell him, "and we need to give you a name. How about some dinner?" I've nursed three babies already, so I pretty much have the drill down. It takes him a while to figure it out, but he finally latches on.

"He probably won't eat much," I'm told. "But every little bit he can get this way will help him. You'll probably have to pump so you don't dry out."

I'm just happy to have him in my arms, against my breast, as I look with awe at how perfect he is. He actually has some dark hair, and it's so amazingly soft and silky.

"Looks like you two are getting to know each other just fine." I hear the most familiar voice and I look up and smile. Han has just arrived, and he looks far better than he did when he left. He leans over and kisses me. "How are you, sweetheart?"

"Tired, sore, but better now that I can hold him and feed him." I look at his tiny features. "I think he looks like you."

"The nose is mine, that's for sure." Han looks so happy. "Looks like he's figured out where the good stuff comes from."

"He's not as strong as the other kids were, but I have a feeling that that is all going to change." Despite our son's prematurity and our rather abrupt change in plans, in this moment, there's a serenity I feel.

Han grabs a chair and sits down with us. "When he's done, can I hold him?" he asks me, giving that lopsided grin that always moves my heart.

"Sure. I think he's almost done here."

"You should be taking advantage of this," Han tells him, leaning over to touch him. "You only get this for a while. After that, all mine."

Nobody makes me laugh more than Han Solo. Just one of the thousands of reasons why I love him so.


	7. Chapter 7

CRASH LANDING

Chapter 7

(Han)

Leia's been released from the medcenter, but our son remains in the NICU, and probably will be for the next few weeks. No, we do not have a name for him. No, we will not be naming him after my biological and her adoptive fathers. (Hers might rate, but not mine.) We put the task to the kids, but within five minutes things got very, very silly. Fun, yes, but I have visions of this kid going into adulthood named Baby Boy Solo.

Anakin was originally going to be Han Solo Junior, but Leia wanted to name him what we did as a way of making her peace with her biological progenitor. I went with it. So far, he's young enough that no one is going to hassle him about his name, although I do worry about it as he gets older.

Leia's been here every day at least twice. The little guy still doesn't eat that much but he's getting there; Leia says she'll be glad when he comes home and she doesn't have to run back and forth to feed him and then pump out what she has left. Today, she said she was going to take our older kids out when school was over and do things they wanted to do. I thought it was a great idea, and I left work early to see the little guy.

The nurses, both human and mechanical, are incredible. Every one of these kids' families are at a tough point in their lives, and sometimes, the kids don't make it.

The staff is raving about how well our still unnamed child is coming along. I'm glad to hear it; he did develop some jaundice but they placed him under the bili lights and he's no longer the color of Wampa piss.

"Daddy Solo, glad you're here, because we have something for you to do."

"Leia sent me with a couple of feeding bottles."

"We'll get to that. But we're wondering how you'd feel about kanga cuddling."

I'm tempted to ask if it's a cocktail they're talking about, but I don't always need to be a smart ass.

"Skin to skin contact with premature babies is very important. Your little boy can't regulate his temperature very well, but we've found that frequent skin contact helps to stabilize that, and it makes the parent and child feel close. I don't know how you feel about opening your shirt with all of us here, but that's what it's about."

"I don't think there's a problem with that."

"Let me get - you are going to choose a name for this baby, aren't you?"

"We're working on it," I tell her.

"Let me disconnect your son from the monitors and I'll hand him to you."

I stare down at him. "Poor little guy," I say to him. "You've got my nose."

I sit down in one of the comfy chairs - the NICU has comfy chairs, which must be against all medcenter regulations - and she hands me him. He's looking a little bigger and starting to look more, well, finished.

"Hey there," I say to him. I just gaze at him at first. My hands fit almost all around his entire body. "How's my baby?"

I unfasten the buttons of my shirt and I lean him against my chest. He feels so small, so new, so incredibly soft. I could hold him forever. This is just one of the many reasons I love being a dad. It's not easy for us right now, but I'm grateful that our little boy, who will in all likelihood be our last child, is doing so well.

But we have got to get a name on this kid.

I love being a new father. I love being an old one, but there's something so special about ushering a tiny human into the big bad universe.

I have no idea how much time has passed when I hear a weak cry and a stirring. It's my little guy.

"Looks like both of you had a nice nap," his nurse droid says to us. "He's so calm with you."

"Let's hope so. He's kind of stuck with me."

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	8. Chapter 8

CRASH LANDING

Chapter 8

(Leia)

This is a wonderful day. I have the chance to enjoy my three older kids, something I spend far too little time doing.

We're at the zoo. Jacen, of course, is passionate about animals, but Jaina and Anakin enjoy it as well. And it makes me feel like a kid again. I remember going to the zoo in Aldera, and feeling all of my responsibilities and lessons and public appearances drifting away as I fed some of the animals and watched all of them, many of their behaviors funny to me. That part hasn't changed.

Right now, we're at lunch at one of the many kiosks throughout the park, enjoying vegetable burgers (and grilled cheese for Anakin) and cold drinks and laughing.

"So Mom, what're we gonna name our new brother?" Jacen pipes up.

"That's a good question," I answer him. The baby is eleven days old and we still don't have a name on his birth certificate.

"Why not name him Oogly?" Jaina suggests. "'Cause babies are oogly."

"I don't think so," I tell her, although her brothers think this is hilarious. "We're thinking Han Solo Junior."

"You can't do that," Jaina tells me. "'Cause then you're gonna have two Han Solos you have to tell what to do." This causes all of us to laugh. I think Han would like to have the baby named after him. We can vary it by giving him a middle name, which Han does not have. Han didn't even know for the longest time he had a surname.

"How about we each pick a name, and let Dad be the final arbiter?" I suggest.

Jaina looks at me as if I've lost my mind. "You'd trust Daddy to do that? I wouldn't."

We're all laughing again.

"I'm sure your father is equal to the task," I inform her.

"Sure he is," Jaina shoots back, sarcasm lacing her voice. Sarcasm comes free with all interactions with the Solo household. Han says it's all just part of the service.

"Okay, seriously, guys, we can't call him Baby Boy Solo forever. So let's think of something. We're getting weird looks from the medcenter staff."

"When can we see him?" Anakin whines.

"When the staff at the medcenter says you can," I say simply.

"How long's he gonna be there?" Anakin asks, unhappy at not being able to meet with his new younger brother.

"We don't know, exactly. He has to grow a little more and his lungs have to finish developing."

"Whaddya mean, his lungs have to finish?" Jacen frowns.

"When babies are born too soon, their lungs aren't ready to breathe on their own. That's one of the last things that happens before a baby is born."

"Ranaan's my best friend at school," Anakin volunteers.

"He's a dork," Jaina says. "My brother's not gonna be a dork."

"He's not a dork! You're a dork!" Anakin shoots off at her, and she returns a withering look. She's got that one down pat. Han claims she gets it from me.

"Cledwyn on Animal Galaxy, he totally rocks," Jacen contributes.

"I hate it," Jaina objects. "And he's a dork, too."

"Why is everything you don't like a dork?" Jacen goes back.

"Because it is."

I actually like Cledwyn somewhat. I'll keep from contributing, however, until they've exhausted their supply.

"Declan. He's the one in my class always trying to beat me out for grades, and he'll never get there," Jaina says, her smile arch.

I like Declan. I'm starting to wonder, though, if this kid is going to end up with three middle names, assuming we go with Han, just to keep the peace.

"What about Jarik? Wasn't that Dad's cousin who died?" Jacen calls upon a story that Han told them. Jarik, for the record, was not a blood relative, but Han liked the kid, and he took the boy's death very hard. I've seen a couple holos of him. Very young, very sweet looking, and Han said he was a good fighter and a halfway decent pilot, which is high praise coming from Han.

"Do you think Dad would name someone after a dead person?" Jaina makes a face.

"He named you after his mother," I remind her.

"Well, yeah, there's that," she concedes.

"I say I take this information and Dad and I will talk about it tonight," I tell them. "If you have others you can think of before then, we'll use that as well. In the meantime, we have a lot of animals that need to see us."

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I had one of the best days ever with my kids. We were all tired out from the trip. Han was still with our yet-to-be-named son, so we went to Grill and Swill, which serves foods they like and has sports holoscreens all over the place. Jaina enjoys smashball; part of the reason she likes it, she says, is because things get really bloody when they're good, and partly because it gives her time with her father. Jacen abhors bloodsport and Anakin isn't interested in smashball, but there are plenty of others that Anakin will watch.

After dinner, we head for home, which we need to get ready to sell. I almost wish we could level the place; it'd be a lot less effort, but it's a good area, and if we make it look halfway decent we'll get a good price. But that's tomorrow. Today was a good day.

Chewie takes over as I leave to feed the baby at the medcenter. The kids don't protest over taking showers, and I have a feeling they'll fall asleep easily. The only place I know of that tires them out more is the waterpark. That's on my agenda for next week. They don't know it yet, but I know that they'll love it. We do it at least once each summer.

I made up my mind today about something. With the first three kids, I went back to work within eight weeks of their being born. The Republic was very new and fragile and it demanded attention. It's not as if it still doesn't, but we have more institutions established. There's never going to be a time when everything is totally settled. I was planning to take three months off after our little one's birth, but in addition to him needing me, I think my other kids need more of my attention as well.

Mon Mothma may have a heart attack over this, but I'm going to extend my maternity leave to six months. I fought alongside the entire Alliance so that the worlds we live in would be better places to be. And what kind of life is it when you can't even watch your own kids grow up? That's no kind of better life for me.

I kiss each one good night, my mind clear, my will resolute. I will make time for them.

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Han is patting our baby's back when I arrive. The nursing droid assigned to him tells me that Daddy and Baby had a couple of nice naps together.

Our baby is fussing a little bit, but Han looks up and smiles at me. "I think he wants you," Han says, handing him to me. I get ready to put him on my breast and he latches on hungrily.

"I think he's getting the hang of it," Han observes, smiling.

"You're not kidding." He is a lot stronger in the eating department, nursing for longer and more vigorously. The three of us happily settle in for the time being. "We have to name this little man, beloved," I tell Han. "The kids and I went through some names at lunch. The final vote was Han Jarik Solo."

That brings a wistful smile to Han's face. "I loved that kid. I think he'd approve."

"So we have a name?" I ask.

"Good by me," Han says. "I think we'll have to use Jarik, or I'll get confused. I mean, I am sort of a kid at heart."

"I like that." I laugh. Han is something of a kid, despite the fact that in adult situations, no one is more of a full grown man. He knows when to have fun with the kids and when to be firm with them. He was deprived of a childhood and he's determined to make up for it.

"Welcome to the universe, Han Jarik Solo," Han murmurs to him.

"We've named him," I tell one of the droid nurses passing by.

"Excellent. What do you call him?"

"Han Jarik Solo, but we'll use his middle name," Han says. "Two kids with the same name could be rough."

"I shall get the proper forms."

"Have fun with the big kids today?" Han asks.

"The best. There's something I want to ask you about, though."

"Oh?"

"I want to take six months off, not three."

"I'm fine with it. Not sure how your boss is gonna handle it; she acted pissed when Jarik got here early."

"I don't care how she reacts." And I don't. I'm old enough to think for myself, thank you very much. She came in to visit me the day before I went home and congratulated me, but it was more form than substance. I know she was annoyed that my leave began so suddenly. Carlist Riekkan, on the other hand, has been in constant contact but hasn't asked about anything other than how we're all doing as a family. Of course, I don't work for him, other than acting as a liaison here and there. "I'm a mother, and you and our children are the most important part of my life."

"I have a nice blaster and I'm not afraid to use it," Han warns me. It's wrong, but I find myself laughing at the thought of Han going toe to toe with Mon Mothma. She's a pretty good shot herself, although I'd put my money on Han anyday, especially when it concerns the children or me.

Jarik is actually finishing off one breast and appears to be ready to try the other. This is a good development. A week ago, he could barely manage five minutes on one breast; now he's taking both. He might not be able to handle much on this side, but it's good to see him turning into a sturdy little boy who looks like Han. He's gaining weight, and that's important. The next step is to remove oxygen support, and once that's accomplished, he can go home.

"When are you on your next cargo run?" I ask Han. "We've got to get the old place shined up for a buyer."

"Not till next week. I have an incoming class, but it's all coursework for the first few days. We'll get there."

"I'm not quite sure how. The place is a disaster. I wish we could level it."

"If it paid more than selling it, I'd consider it," Han replies with a cheeky grin and once again, I'm laughing. One of the things I cherish most about Han is that even in dire circumstances, he makes me laugh. It's not that he's frivolous; he's anything but. But he really knows how to get to the humor in almost any situation.

"We're going to have to hire a cleaning crew and a moving crew," I say, feeling suddenly overwhelmed.

"We'll get there. I can do that," Han says simply, as if the task wasn't all that complex for him.

"Thank you. I'm feeling as if there's so much to do, so little time to do it in, and - "

"Which is why six months off is a great idea."

Jarik finally falls asleep and lets loose. Even with three kids before him, I never cease to be amazed at newborn babies.

As if reading my thoughts, Han grins at me and says, "We make beautiful babies, don't we?"

"Yes," I smile, putting Jarik on my shoulder and patting him to burp. "That we do."


	9. Chapter 9

CRASH LANDING

Chapter 9

(Leia)

Facing Mon Mothma's wrath is not something I count among my preferred pastimes. I'd almost feel better if she would yell and scream and have a tantrum instead of looking at me with ice cold eyes, which say as much as her crisp, brusque voice.

I feel sorry for her in some ways, but I have my own life to live, and I want to do it on my terms, which is something I've never been very good at doing. It's the way I was raised, and part of my personality as a whole, but all that is about to change.

"Welcome back," Mon Mothma says coolly to me. "I see you've decided to return early. We can certainly use you here."

"Actually, that's not at all why I'm here," I tell her.

Her pale eyes flash at me. "So why are you here?"

"I've decided to extend my maternity leave."

She taps a stylus against the desk, not saying anything, seeming to not want to believe what I've just said.

"How long?"

"Six months."

"Leia, I can't spare you for that long."

"Neither can my kids, especially my newborn, who will probably be coming home next week."

"I wasn't even prepared for that. And now you want another six months?"

"Yes, I do. My family needs me."

"Your family has done fine with you working."

"I think they'd be better if I took some time for them, and them alone."

"And what does your husband say about this?" I hate the way she spits out the word 'husband,' as if she swallowed something vile.

"He likes the idea."

"Of course he would. It would give him more time to be irresponsible."

Now I'm really furious. "Han has been nothing but supportive all these years, of both me and my career. He's a good father. The height of his irresponsibility these days is the very occasional sabacc game and believe me, it's been a while since he was able to do that."

And then it dawns on me: why am I defending Han to her? Nothing will change her mind about him. I've said all I'm going to say on that topic.

"You wanted a new republic more than anyone I know," Mon Mothma says, staring at her desk. "Your priorities have certainly changed. I knew that marrying that smuggler - "

"Those are fighting words," I warn her, even more sharply than I'd intended. "Why don't you answer me this: what is it that whenever I speak of my family obligations sets you off?"

I don't think she expected that one.

Finally, she speaks.

"You have no idea what I sacrificed for this," she says, bitterness creeping into her voice.

"The war took something from everyone," I say, more gently.

"The war took my husband and son from me," she finally says.

"I had no idea. I'm sorry." She suddenly seems more human somehow. "I didn't even know you'd been married."

"We kept it a secret from as many people as possible, as he was an Imperial spy, and the less everyone knew, the better. When the war broke out, my son was only sixteen. I didn't want him to serve in battle, but he insisted. I lost him long before the Battle of Yavin."

Are those tears in her eyes? I think they might be.

"I'm sorry, this is not something I talk about - "

"Why don't you talk to me? I can, as you know, keep a confidence."

"Well, more than anyone I know, you do." She hesitates. "For nearly a decade, my husband had been 'disappeared.' I had no idea what had become of him. I presumed him dead, but hoped to learn otherwise. I didn't. He was tortured and murdered by Palpatine's forces. Including your biological father."

I'm sure that's true. I may have lost the anger I've had towards him, but there will never be any love I feel towards him. And I fully believe he would have been involved.

Words fail me. I knew Mon Mothma had lost many friends and supporters, but a husband and a son? That's beyond sacrifice. That's the death of a family, something I am determined not to have happen.

"I don't blame you for the actions of the Sith Lord Vader," she says simply. "And I'm even more ashamed to admit that some of my displeasure with your divided loyalties is based on jealousy. Jealous that you have what once was mine. I know that that's not the way it is, Leia. But I am growing older and weaker, and making the Republic my 'baby' is not nearly so satisfying as it once was. I've been doing this for decades now. I am proud that it has come to be as stable a government as it is, of the work we have done, and continue to do. The price of liberty is eternal vigilance, and such vigilance is making me weary. I was hoping that you would take my position. It's time for me to step down."

"What will you do?" I ask quietly.

She shrugs. "Sometimes I want to write about all I've experienced. Other times, I just want it to all go away. I want to cook, arrange flowers, visit friends. Those sound nonsenically simple, don't they?"

"Not at all. You deserve that and more," I tell her.

"Although it appears unlikely, I, too, wish to fall in love again in my lifetime."

"Never say never. It might just be looking for you."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. I look at the achievements I've been a part of and wonder how much my presence really mattered."

"I think it'd be a mistake to discount your role. You were organizing resistance cells while I was taking my first steps."

She nods, standing up, looking out the window of her office on the 240th floor. The panorama is spectacular, but I doubt that she sees any of it. She's paid a very, very high price.

"I wish I could tell you that there will be love again," I say, very quietly.

"I'd like a pittin or two. I loved them growing up."

"My son Jacen has a pair. Marsune and Krag."

"Interesting that he chose to name them that."

"We finally named our new son."

"And what will he be called?"

"His given name is Han Jarik Solo. He'll go by Jarik, in order to avoid total confusion." I skip the part of Jarik not really being Han's cousin. Han had only one cousin, and he was finally killed during a robbery. Han felt he got what he deserved. His madwoman aunt died shortly thereafter. We're the only ones carrying on the Solo standard.

She's silent. "My son's name was Jareb."

I can see why hearing my new son's name is jarring for her.

"We won the war. But peacetime is hard for those like me. We lose our sense of purpose once things stabilize, and when stability arrives, we're adrift. Your brother went through periods of that."

"He did." Fortunately, he got past it, but it was difficult for him for a while. He drove me crazy for a time. "I guess what I'm saying is, is that no one should ever have to make that sacrifice."

"No, but it happens. I hope that it never happens to you."

"Thank you."

She continues to stare out the window at the turquoise skies of Coruscant, the gleaming structures, the activity bustling above and below us. The city never sleeps. Life is fast here on Coruscant. I want to slow it down just a little.

"I'm really not ready to be Chief of State," I tell her quietly. "I might be in a few years, but at this point in time, I cannot accept that appointment. I'd suggest Ra'ael." Ra'ael is my liaison with her, and he's as skilled a diplomat as they come. And, sadly, his family life is nonexistent. His wife moved on when she saw that she was going to have to do without a husband nearly all of the time. It's situations such as this that I'm determined to avoid.

She nods silently. "Ra'ael is fairly uninspired, but he knows the job and works as hard as a person can."

"I'd be at ease working for him."

She finally looks at me. "What I have told you, I wish to keep confidential. I don't think I could bear the looks of pity were it to come out. There are very few left who knew my husband and son, and we never speak of it. I'd prefer it remain so."

"As you wish."

"We'll not speak of such things again, Leia."

I simply nod.

"Perhaps part of better worlds is recognizing that families should never be the casualties of establishing such. You know that, of course, or why would you be in my office, demanding more leave?"

"My point exactly."

She sighs. "I'll sign off on it. I'm not happy without you on board for the time, but it's less a matter of my happiness than it is a statement of what life should be like."

"Thank you."

"Don't let your children grow up to be soldiers."

"Or smugglers or Siths. That's the unholy trinity for Han and me."

She takes out her datapad and begins processing the data for me to go on leave.

"Be well, Leia."

"You, too," I say to her as I leave her office for probably the last time.

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(Han)

I'm wondering if Leia had the right idea of leveling the apartment we're moving out of. We have two weeks till closing. From the look of things, Jarik's going to be out next week, so we take intimacy to new and dizzying heights. Jarik's cradle will be in our room, meaning that getting around will require significant acrobatics.

I hate droids, but I've hired an army of cleaning droids and put Threepio in charge. He'll make sure no one puts furniture polish on my guitars or mistakes them for weapons of mass destruction.

"All right, we don't hafta clean our room!" Anakin cheers.

"Uh, not exactly, buddy," I tell him. "Get moving. Start sorting your things. Same for you two," I say, pointing at the twins, who give me the sort of look gundarks reserve for their prey.

"But we're not moving for two more weeks!" Jaina points out.

"You'll be lucky to get everything done before then, especially the way you're going right now." I love my kids. I hate hassling them. But their room looks worse than some war zones I've been in, and I've been in more than a few.

Leia had started in our bedroom, but went off to feed Jarik again. The docs are saying next week. This is going to make moving so very entertaining. Not!

I check on the kids after I finish boxing up some holos. We only have a million of 'em. The new place has a wall that was made to be occupied by the holos. I find it hard to resist looking at them as I go through them. Leia's and my wedding...we looked so much younger there. I guess that's because we were younger. I haven't counted the grey hairs today, but I'm sure I have more than I did yesterday. You can either have a preemie baby or a move to a new location, but expecting to do both at the same time indicates how far my sanity has lapsed. Throw three older kids in the mix, and that I have any brain cells left is nothing short of amazing.

Still, it's nothing compared to being chased by Imperial warships. No, wait, it's worse!

Admittedly, we thought we were going to have a little more time to do this move, but like everything we plan at the House of Solo, it blows up as soon as we decide upon it. But looking at the holos, I realize it's not always a bad thing. Looking at the first photos of Jaina and Jacen, we look so young. I remember the work and the exhaustion, but in every photo, we have these goofy new parent grins on our faces. The kids have grown so fast, I realize. It's as if time just roars on by us and leaves us in its wake. Maybe Jarik's birth could be interpreted as symbolic; I'm almost old enough to be Jarik's grandfather (and I pray to whatever deities might be out there), something I hope never happens.

And speaking of time passing by, I realize it's been a while since I checked on the kids.

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	10. Chapter 10

CRASH LANDING

Chapter 10

(Leia)

This is the day we've been waiting for. It's been a tough 37 days, but Jarik is strong and healthy and ready to meet his older sister and brothers. I'm looking forward not to be running back and forth to the medcenter to feed him. He's definitely got eating down. He really does eat now like a starving Wookiee.

The kids, who've not been permitted to visit with him, come along with Han and me to bring him home. When I was first pregnant, they were not happy about the unexpected development, no pun intended. But they began to accept it more and more as the time came nearer, save for when I had to be rushed to the medcenter. That was upsetting for everyone. But Han and I have done our best to teach them that a crisis does not mean you crumble.

Now they're as excited as I've ever seen them - and I've seen them be excited a lot.

"I get to hold him first!" Jaina calls out as Han holds him while I get into the speeder.

"No, you don't!" Jacen tells her.

"Yeah, why do you get to go first?" Anakin demands.

"Because I'm the oldest. And I'm a woman."

I try not to laugh out loud, and Han winces.

"So?" Anakin shoots back.

"Women mature faster than boys," Jaina points out. Han looks as if he's about to be ill.

"Honey, don't grow up any faster. The opposite sex could never survive it," Han tells her.

We head on back to the apartment we're going to move out of in one weeks' time. This certainly isn't going to be a relaxing phase of life, but it holds the promise of being one of the most fulfilling times of our lives.

As Han pulls the speeder away from the medcenter, he turns slightly to smile at me.

"He looks pretty good for someone who had a crash landing," Han said, smiling.

"That he does." I have to agree totally.

"So, are you ready for our next adventure?"

"Which one?" I laugh, as there are so many.

"Being a family of six."

"Ready or not, here it comes," I say, and smile as we head off.

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End file.
